In the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001 many developed countries have implemented new security measures with more stringent rules in an effort to minimize and/or eliminate the threat of terrorism within their country's borders. One such recent measure requires permanent residents who would like to visit a G8 foreign country to return to their birth country to apply for visas from the foreign embassy of the intended destination country. However, many permanent residents have established their roots abroad in the countries in which they reside, with minimal or no ties with their birth country having migrated many years earlier. These visa applicants, who may be model permanent residents, are now at a disadvantage as foreign embassies generally require proof of residency in the birth country, i.e. demonstrate sufficient ties exemplifying an intent to return. Therefore, a visa applicant may be asked to produce documentary evidence like bank records for a local bank account, utility bills showing a local resident address, mortgage or lease statements, and/or demonstrate civic involvement and the like in an interview. With these requirements in place, a significant number of visa applicants will be unable to qualify for foreign visas as they lack the necessary documentation.
Compounding the problem is the fact that many permanent residents either cannot, or choose not to return to their birth country because of political reasons, threat of violence, e.g. robbery, kidnapping, etc. Accordingly, requiring permanent residents to return to their birth country to apply for foreign visas effectively places an unnecessary limitation on permanent resident's ability to travel. Thus, there needs to be a system and method for allowing permanent residents residing in foreign countries to obtain foreign visas without having to return to their birth country to obtain the same. It is understood that any such process needs to be implemented without compromising the approval process for granting visas.
Accordingly, the various embodiments and disclosures described herein satisfies these long felt needs and solves the limitations of the prior art in a new and novel manner.